Accidents Can be Life Changing
by lemondrops11
Summary: lucy get's framed for stealing, and can be possibly be put on trial.


Accidents Can be Life Changing  
  
Lucy Camden was walking home from school very sluggishly. She had a ton of homework, and her backpack was weighing her down; however, she wasn't going to let this factor make her mad. This was the first time Lucy had permission to walk home from school by herself. She would rather walk home than ride in the car with her annoying brother's and sister's. It seemed to Lucy as if she had been begging her parents for forever to let her walk home by herself. Since she was in high school now she finally had permission. This made her feel important. As Lucy opened the back door to her house, her mother was standing inside the house right next to the door.  
"Great," Thought Lucy, "She is so over protective. She doesn't think I can walk home from school by myself." "Hi, Lucy! How was school today?" Annie asked with a bubbly tone in her voice. "Just fine Mom." "Oh, that's good. Did you have fun walking home from school?" "Yeah Mom, it was a blast." Lucy sarcastically said as she put her books down on the table. "Now Luc, if you are going to have that attitude, maybe Matt should just pick you up again and not walk home. You know walking is a." "Privilege." She finished for her mother. "I know it is a privilege, and I enjoyed walking home, just today wasn't the best day to start walking home. Look at my homework load." "Yeah that is a lot, but before you start on it, you and your father need to run to the store for me." "But Mom, I can't. I'm tired, and I have so much to do. Why can't Dad go alone?" "It takes two people to carry what I need you all to pick up. I would go, but I still have to prepare dinner. Besides, it will be good bonding time for you two." "Fine. I'll go find him." Lucy said heavily sighing.  
  
Eric and Lucy left the department store and awkwardly tried putting the heavy box into the car. "What could possibly be in here?" Lucy asked. "Oh, I don't know. I think it is some kitchen appliances your mother had ordered." Eric said out of breath as he placed the box in the back of the van. Lucy glanced across the street and noticed a jewelry shop right next door. "Dad, look, a jewelry store. May I please go in there and look around for a few minutes?" "Well, Luc, we need to get home." "Come on Dad, please? Just for like five minutes okay?" "Alright five minutes. I am going to wait in the car, alright?" "Okay! Thanks Daddy!" Lucy walked into the store and couldn't believe her eyes. There were so many precious stones, and expensive jewels. "Whoa," she thought, "How could anyone ever afford these things?" A woman accidentally bumped into Lucy. "I am so sorry, dear." The lady said. "It's no problem." Lucy said shrugging. She thought the women looked a bit suspicious, but Lucy tried not to think about it because it wasn't nice to judge. Lucy walked around the whole store trying to be quick. "I better be getting back. It's probably been five minutes." She looked at her watch and had a minute to spare. And then she saw a display near the stores exit that was an open display. "Odd, why is there and open display for jewelry?" Lucy went over and poked around at it. Getting bored, Lucy went to exit the store. The lady that had bumped into her squeezed in front of Lucy and got out first. Lucy was right behind her though. All of a sudden the alarm went off. Lucy panicked. She knew she didn't steal anything. She was scared. The police charged for her and Lucy sped out of the store like she was on fire. Finally she reached the car. Eric had his head propped in a book, so Lucy knew he had not just seen the incident that had taken place seconds before. "Floor it, Dad!" Lucy was shaking. "Lucy, what was that about?" Eric asked. "What was what about?" "Why are you acting so anxious?" "Oh, no reason. I'm just hungry."  
  
After supper that night, Lucy sat on her bed twiddling her thumbs, and humming to her favorite song. "Lucy, Mom said you had a ton of homework. Why haven't you started it?" Mary asked annoyed. She was trying to concentrate on her homework, and Lucy was distracting her. "Oh, I just don't feel like doing it." "Right. Lucy, you almost always do your homework. You've been acting creepy tonight. Now tell me what happened." "Fine, but you've got to promise not to tell anyone. Okay?" "Lucy, you know I don't rat." "Okay, well when we went to the store today, Dad let me go across the street to the jewelry store for a few minutes. When I went to leave, the alarm went off. I saw the policeman coming towards me and I just ran. It really shook me up." "Oh Lucy, that's not good. "I know that, but I didn't steal anything." "Than you should have let the policemen search you. That way he'd know you were innocent."  
  
"Yeah it's too late now." Lucy tapped at her leg, and something poked her. "Ow!" "What?" "I don't know. I poked myself with something." Lucy dug through her pocket to see what hit her. She pulled out a jade stone. "Oh my gosh. Mary look!" "Lucy! You did steal." "No, no I did not. I was framed. I knew that lady looked suspicious!" "We have to tell Mom and Dad." "We can't do that. Remember how much trouble Matt got into when you stole that glass last year? That was a glass this is a stone, just think of how much trouble I will be in." "Yeah, but Matt didn't steal the glass." "And I didn't steal the stone."  
  
Lucy barely slept that night; she was too confused. Should she tell the truth, or should she take the blame? What would happen to her? The next morning when Lucy entered the foyer the same policeman was standing there. Eric and Annie had blank looks on their faces. Lucy spoke up. "Is this about me?" They all looked at her. "Lucy, the policeman needs to talk to you about yesterday." Eric was trying to keep his composer. Lucy followed Eric, Annie, and the officer into the living room. "How did you know where I lived?" She asked. "We tagged your Father's license plate number. We didn't go after you right away because we lost your direction, and it took forever to track down the right plate number to the right house." "Oh." "Now," The policeman started, "did you or did you not steal from the store yesterday?" "I did not steal. I promise." Lucy tried to sound confident. "Then why did you runaway me? You know that is an offense." "I know. I was scared. I didn't know what to do." Mary walked in. "Guys, Lucy is innocent. I can explain what happened." Mary said trying to defend her sister. "Mary, it is okay. I can do this myself. Please just let me." "Mary, why don't you go check on Ruthie and Simon." Annie asked. Mary went into the kitchen only to see her younger siblings eating cookies. "Come on Simon, you know those aren't healthy for breakfast." "I know, but we are nervous." "Why?" "Because Lucy is going to jail." Ruthie said. "Lucy is not going to jail." "Isn't it cool that she escaped the cops?" Simon asked. "No, Simon that's not cool." Mary was trying to be patient. Matt walked down the stairs. "Hey! What's going on?" He wondered. "Lucy is going to jail." Ruthie casually said taking a bit of a chocolate chip cookie. "No she isn't Ruthie. Now go change for school, okay?" "Fine." Ruthie got up and left. "What? What does she mean Mary?" Matt was curious. Mary sat and explained the whole situation to her brothers. Meanwhile in the other room. "Well, why did the alarm go off?" Lucy reached in her pink, robe pocket and pulled out the jade stone. "Now, before anyone says anything. I just want to let you know that I was framed. I did not steal this piece of jewelry. Yesterday in the store a lady bumped into me. She looked kind of strange, and then when I went to leave, she pushed her way in front of me. So she must have had stolen things too, and she wanted me to get caught, to distract you guys from her. That's why she stuck the stone in my pocket." "That's a nice story and all, but you are going to have trouble trying to convince this that to the court. You have no evidence" "Court?" All of a sudden, Ruthie popped out of nowhere. "What about those security cameras? I bet they have the evidence." "Yeah, what about those?" Lucy asked. "Hmm, You are right. Let's go to the station and check it out." The policeman said getting up. Everyone took a sigh of relief.  
  
The security cameras did prove Lucy as innocent, yet she had to serve community service for a month for running from the cops. Everyone was so happy Lucy didn't have to go to court, that she barely got punished at home. She did get a lecture on how to report suspicious activity though. The real thief did eventually get caught, when she tried stealing from the community food market. Lucy never walked home from school again. 


End file.
